COMPASS Framework Explained: How to Self-Assess Your Singapore Employment Pass Score [2026]

Quick answer: COMPASS (the Complementarity Assessment Framework) is the points-based system the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) uses to assess most Employment Pass (EP) applications. An application needs at least 40 points to pass. Points come from four foundational criteria — salary, qualifications, diversity, and support for local employment (each worth 0, 10 or 20 points) — plus two bonus criteria. Before COMPASS even applies, the candidate must first meet the EP qualifying salary, which from current rules starts at S$5,600/month for most sectors (S$6,200 in financial services) and rises with age. You can check a candidate’s likely outcome using MOM’s free Self-Assessment Tool (SAT).

If an application is rejected, review the reasons and next steps in our Employment Pass rejection and appeal guide.

If you are hiring a foreign professional in Singapore, the Employment Pass is usually the pass you will apply for — and since September 2023, most EP applications are scored under COMPASS. Understanding how the points work before you apply lets you fix weak spots, set the right salary, and avoid a rejection that costs you weeks. This guide explains each criterion, walks through a worked example, and shows you how to self-assess.

The figures below are drawn from MOM’s official Eligibility for Employment Pass page (last updated 28 April 2026). Salary thresholds and scoring rules change periodically, so always confirm against MOM before relying on them.

The Two-Stage EP Eligibility Framework

An EP application must clear two stages. Failing the first means the second is never assessed.

Stage 1: The EP Qualifying Salary

The qualifying salary is the minimum bar to even be considered. It increases progressively with age, because the benchmark tracks local PMET pay, which rises over a career. The table below shows current anchor points for the all-sectors track (financial services is higher).

Coming change: For new applications from 1 January 2027 (and renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028), the floor rises to S$6,000 for most sectors and S$6,600 for financial services, with the age-adjusted ceiling moving to S$11,500 and S$12,700 respectively. Source: MOM.

Note that meeting the qualifying salary is separate from scoring points on the COMPASS salary criterion (C1) below — they use different benchmarks.

Stage 2: How COMPASS Scoring Works

COMPASS awards points across four foundational criteria and two bonus criteria. You need a total of at least 40 points to pass. Because each foundational criterion awards 0, 10 or 20 points, the simplest passing route is to score 10 on all four. A weakness on one criterion can be offset by a strength on another, or by a bonus.

C1. Salary

This benchmarks the candidate’s fixed monthly salary against local PMET salaries in the same sector and age band.

C2. Qualifications

This rewards the candidate’s educational qualifications. If you do not need points here, you do not have to submit qualifications or verification proof.

MOM updates the list of recognised institutions once a year. From 1 January 2026, the C2 qualification lists were refreshed for both new applications and renewals, so a candidate’s points can change between application cycles even if nothing else does.

C3. Diversity

This awards more points where the candidate’s nationality forms a smaller share of your firm’s PMET workforce — encouraging a diverse team.

Small firms: If your organisation has fewer than 25 PMETs, C3 scores 10 points by default.

C4. Support for Local Employment

This recognises firms that build a strong local core, comparing your local PMET share to others in your sector.

Small firms: Firms with fewer than 25 PMETs score 10 points by default. Separately, any firm with a local PMET share of at least 70% scores at least 10 points regardless of where it sits within its sector.

C5. Skills Bonus (Shortage Occupation List)

If the job is on MOM’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL), the application earns bonus points: 20 points if the candidate’s nationality is less than one-third of your PMETs, or 10 points if it is one-third or more. Candidates who rely on SOL bonus points to pass can only be employed in that specific shortage occupation.

C6. Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus

Firms partnering with economic agencies on ambitious investment, innovation or internationalisation activities — or endorsed by NTUC on workforce transformation — can earn a 10-point bonus, awarded at the supporting agency’s discretion and valid for up to three years.

A Worked Example

Here is one of MOM’s own case studies. A marketing consultancy hires a business manager. The candidate holds a bachelor’s degree from a non-top-tier foreign university, earns at the 70th percentile for the sector, their nationality is 15% of the firm’s PMETs, and the firm’s local PMET share is at the 40th percentile of its sector.

MOM notes that most applications fall into this “meets expectations on all four” category. The flexibility of the system means a candidate weak on salary can still pass if, say, they significantly improve the firm’s diversity (scoring 20 on C3).

Who Is Exempt From COMPASS?

A candidate is exempt from COMPASS (they still must meet the qualifying salary) if they meet any one of these conditions:

High earners: a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500. Intra-corporate transferees: staff transferred within a multinational group under Singapore’s trade commitments. Short stints: the role is for one month or less.

How to Self-Assess Before You Apply

MOM provides a free Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) that estimates whether a candidate would pass. Employers and appointed employment agents can also check the firm’s C3 and C4 scores using the Workforce Insights tool on the myMOM Portal, since those two criteria depend on your specific workforce profile rather than the candidate alone.

For an accurate self-assessment you will need: the candidate’s fixed monthly salary and age, their highest qualification and the awarding institution, your firm’s PMET headcount, the nationality mix of those PMETs, and your sector classification. The firm-level criteria (C3 and C4) are often where applications quietly lose points, so it is worth checking these early.

If you are still deciding which pass is right for your hire, our guide comparing the Employment Pass, S Pass and Work Permit breaks down the salary thresholds, quotas and levies for each.

How Assembly Works Can Help

COMPASS rewards preparation. The applications that fail are usually the ones submitted without checking the firm-level criteria first, or with a salary set just below a percentile threshold. As a licensed employment agency (EA Licence 22C1133), Assembly Works runs a full self-assessment before submitting, advises on the salary and documentation that will maximise your score, and manages the EP application end to end.

Learn more about our Employment Pass service or contact us to assess a candidate’s eligibility before you apply.